Forgotten Meeting
by AngelFire Rei
Summary: when Rei was young she made a friend she doesn't even remember but she still knows them.


_**Forgotten Meeting**_

Rei ran through the back alley aware that she didn't know where she was or where she was going. It didn't matter, she had to keep going. She could hear the angry shouts in the distance some closer than others. Running as fast as her four-year-old legs would allow the shouts and calls grew softer, quieter.

The raven haired child stopped in a corner of some foreign alley. Taking a few deep breathes she began to relax. The peaceful moment didn't last long as her thoughts were interrupted by a yell from a familiar voice. Her father, Takeo Ishida. She ran.

Takeo Ishida, certainly a man with a fitting name, one that means warrior. And he is truly a warrior with no knowledge other than fighting for his village and training others to do the same. A strong man such as himself surely would make a fine clan leader, no wonder that he was. But his lust for fighting power, the same lust the whole clan except for a few members had was pushed upon his only child, his young daughter Rei.

Rei Ishida. A young girl, smart for her age, but not strong. She was to be clan leader one day, they told her so. But she didn't want that, nor did she wish to fight. The life of a shinobi was not hers, not hers to live. But her father insisted she be whipped into shape, that she had no choice as the clan's one and only heir.

So she hid or fled from her training sessions almost everyday. Punishment after punishment for being disobedient still couldn't get her to break and submit to the life she was supposed to follow. Her only sanctuary, her mothers loving arms. Akane Ishida.

Akane, brilliant red, a suiting name given the baby girl with very bright red eyes even for an Ishida. A daughter to one of the higher-ups in the clan she was raised like any other Ishida, trained to fight and kill for her village. But when her own daughter, Rei was born, her life's training vanished under her over powering motherly instincts. Protecting her daughter would have to come first, before protecting the village now.

Heart pounding bare feet tapping the ground as lightly as possible the girl maneuvered the unfamiliar surroundings rather well. Bright red eyes inherited from her mother flashed back and forth finding the best way to go. White dress skirted buffeted by the wind as she ran, her small hand darted downward and held the light fabric down. _Run_

As she stopped into a skidding halt she spun on her heals and turned the corner. Bumping into something she fell back onto the ground as a thin dirt cloud rose up then died back down. Rei shook her head and her long onyx locks flew wildly around her face.

"What a drag…" Rei looked up to see the speaker who reached out a hand to her.

Hesitantly she took the boy's hand and he pulled her up lazily. _What an odd person he is…_ Rei whispered in her mind.

He yawned widely before turning back to look her in the eye. "What's the rush?" he asked but obviously didn't really care.

As more shouts sounded closer she looked back the way she'd come. Then she whirled around and looked pleadingly into the lazy boys eyes. "I need to hide…they'll find me if I stay here…"

The older boy who hadn't shown much interested seemed to perk up. Some curiosity he couldn't explain took over as he grabbed her hand again.

"Come on," He pulled her lightly with little force. When she didn't move he looked back into her red eyes, his first thought was that maybe it was her eyes that made him curious.

"You're not from around here are you?" She nodded. "Then follow me, I know these alleys like the back of my hand."

She took a step forward and the dark haired boy turned again and showing the most energy since she ran into him, ran off down the alleyway.

Getting a good look at him for the first time Rei noticed all his features. First of all he was obviously older then she was, secondly he had dark brown hair pulled back into a spiked ponytail. She picked up her speed to run by his side and peeked at his face. His eyes were tired looking with dark baggy half-circles under them. But there was an excited shine in the black-onyx orbs as he pulled her along, guiding her way.

"What's you're name?" She asked then added, "I'm Rei Ishida, by the way."

He glanced back at her over his shoulder as she'd fallen back again. "It's Shikamaru, Nara Shikamaru."

"Nara…Shikamaru." Her lips played his name softly burning it into her mind.

Shikamaru stopped at a dead end and looked up at the wall in front of them. Rei wrenched her arm away from him and took a few paces back.

"You said you knew where you were going!" Rei huffed, the poor girl looked as if she were about to cry.

"I do, don't worry so much." With that he jumped up on to the roof in front of them.

Rei looked up in wonder and surprise. This boy was a shinobi, or at least in the academy.

"How am I…," Before she could fully voice her question Shikamaru stretched his hand down to her.

"Jump up and grab my hand."

Rei backed up a couple more feet and then ran at the wall. She sprang up and clasped the boy's hand in both of hers. Pulling her small form up with ease Shikamaru set her down on the roof. He pointing to the other side of the building and her gazed followed.

A vast field lay on the other side of the building they stood upon. There was a small rolling hill with a large tree in the center. Shikamaru walked over to the edge and turned as he got down on his knees. As he eased himself over he stopped briefly to call to the awestruck girl. "You come' in?" with that he slipped over the edge.

Rei ran over to the edge and peered down. Shikamaru stood on a large wooden crate. He jumped down on to a smaller one to the side. Rei slowly eased her way after him, taking longer because of her smaller size.

"They won't find me today…" A smiled crossed the small girl's lips for the first time since Shikamaru met her. And he couldn't help think that it suited her better than a frown.

"You look better with a smile you know?" He voiced his thought.

"Its cause a you I can smile today." She bowed slightly as she was taught and added a thank you.

"You don't have ta be so polite with me…" He shook his head as if he found it to be bothersome. "We're just kids, save that troublesome stuff for the adults."

"Kay, I will." She smiled again.

They walked over to the tree in the center of all the rolling fields and hills beyond. As they reached the tree Shikamaru slunk down into the grass propping his head against the base of the trunk.

"So tell me why you were run' in?" He looked at her through one half open eye.

Rei sat and rested her back against the rough bark and pulled her knees close to her the white dress falling around her legs. "I don't want to train to fight and become a shinobi…but because I'm heir to the clan I have to…" She stopped and looked up at the sky as a crow flew by. "My father…won't listen…he says I have to train and that I'm ungrateful and weak."

"So you ran away?"

"I couldn't find Mother anywhere…and he would have beaten me if he found me."

"And he won't now?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I'll slip back once I'm sure Mother's home, _he_ won't be there until dark if I'm lucky and my mother won't let him hit me…" Rei's eyes glazed with warmth, love, and admiration with thoughts of her mother.

"Sounds like a twisted guy…" Shikamaru tilted his head up to look at the clouds.

Rei looked at him then up at the clouds and back to his face. "You like clouds?"

"Yea…" He replied softly his voice tired but filled with his cloud envy. "I wish I was a cloud, and could just float around all day. I don't really want to be a shinobi either." Shikamaru closed his eyes.

"You're in the academy aren't you?" Rei asked.

"Yea…but I sleep through most the lessons; I'll probably never pass…"

"You're weird." Rei giggled.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and sat up. "I'm weird? I'm not the one with red eyes! Now that's weird!" Shikamaru laughed.

"Y-you think my…eyes are weird?" Rei looked down at the ground and long black bangs covered her 'weird' red eyes.

"Just a little bit…" Shikamaru reached out a hand and pushed her bags up on her forehead. Rei looked up at him. "But there kinda…pretty to…" Shikamaru cast his gaze sideways as he felt a hot blush cross his cheeks at saying such a sappy thing.

"Really?" Rei started to smile again. She titled her head to the side to see his face. "Thank you." She giggled.

Shikamaru glanced at her and nodded.

Rei stood up suddenly and ran out from under the shade of the tree. The boy looked up at her twirling around in the field. Her white dress skirt floating on the wind and her raven hair swirling all around as she spun. Arms outstretched smile painted on her face, she was truly happy for the first time he'd seen her that day. Her laughter filled the large open field of grain.

Shikamaru stood and half walked half ran over to her. She stopped dizzily and started to fall back. She was caught midair in Shikamaru's arms. They both burst out laughing as they both fell lightly into a pool of waving golden grain.

As they looked up all around them were straight tall walls of gold with bright blue sky and soft clouds above them.

They stay in there little heaven for a while just watching the sky. Soon Rei got up and Shikamaru followed. She started spinning again, as if there were no other way to release all her happiness and energy.

Shikamaru and Rei ran through the fields for what seemed like endless time. But as the sky grew darker Rei began to slow down until she came to a stop. Shikamaru turned to her.

"What is it?"

Rei looked down. "I have to get back soon or I'll be in lots of trouble." Rei looked up and smiled. "But I'm really happy we met, Shikamaru!"

As the setting sun painted the sky all shades of colors and made the grain sparkle golden Rei walked up to her knew friend and outstretched her hand in a small fist pinky extended.

"Lets be friends forever, ok Shika-kun?" Rei asked hopefully.

Shikamaru wrapped his pinky around hers and they shook. "Friends forever,"

"Friends forever," Rei repeated, "It's a promise and Shika-kun I may do a lot of things but I never break promises."

Shikamaru nodded. "Me either."

Shikamaru walked Rei back through the alleys that were unknown to her. They talked quietly, their voices tiny whispers carried in the night air. He led her back an easier way then she had come.

Rei stopped suddenly. "I know where to go from here…" She turned to Shikamaru. "Will we ever see each other again, do you think?" She asked sadness etched into each word.

"Yes, we will, I know we will." Shikamaru smiled reassuringly.

Rei looked up hopefully. "Then you want to see me again?" When Shikamaru nodded she added. "Then let's meet here again tomorrow. We can go to the field again."

Rei spoke with a happy and hopeful air to her voice but her words seemed empty as if she knew she couldn't meet him here again but they both agreed. She turned her back to him with one last thank you breathed in to the cool air and walked away into the shadows. Tomorrow at noon Shikamaru would be waiting for her here, to bad she would never come.

Days passed and every day at noon Shikamaru went to wait for her. He waited for an hour each day. But on the day that marked one week, as he was leaving he knew she wasn't going to come. He never came back the next day, or the next. days grew into months, months into years.

Sometimes Shikamaru found himself checking that old lonely corner though he couldn't think why. The reason was long forgotten and so was the pretty little girl with red eyes, just a forgotten memory. But not a forgotten promise, they were still friends; he knew it in his heart. He remembered one very important thing. Her name had been Rei.

"Shikamaru come on! You're slowing us down you shirker!"

"Yea, yea…I'm coming, hold up…Rei!" Shikamaru smiled at the girl ahead of him, his friend with long black-raven hair and shining red eyes, Rei.

* * *

_**The End:**_

_**By AngelFire Rei**_

_**i hope you like it... **_


End file.
